Army pledges to ‘root out the enemy’ and says ‘it is only a matter of time’

DODA (J&K): The drive from Batote, a picturesque town located a little away from refurbished Srinagar-Jammu highway-the northernmost segment of NH 44- to Doda city deep inside the Chenab valley was smooth. But I felt like I was going too slow on a well-maintained two-lane road with smooth surfaces.

One of the reasons for my driving extra cautiously was that after every minute or two a car, wagon or tempo from behind would try to pass me by crossing into oncoming traffic. Most of these vehicles were heading towards or returning from Machail village in the Paddar area of neighbouring Kishtwar district.

Tens of thousands of devotees relocate to the village to pay obeisance at the Chandi Mata Temple and seek the blessings of goddess Durga, popularly known as Machail Mata, during the annual yatra. This year’s yatra began on July 25 and will conclude on September 3.

The hood of almost all these vehicles donned ‘Mata ki Chunri’, the red dominated colourful long scarf. The Chunri is used to cover the idol of Mata during the puja ceremonies, and it is also used to cover the head of devotees as a mark of respect. Some vehicles also bore Bhagwa or other religious flags, symbols and stickers. En-route, langars or community kitchens have been set-up to serve the devotees with free food and beverages.

As I began to drive over a bridge spanning the gushing Chenab River, an Army jawan signalled me to stop for checking. The Army and the J&K police have laid drop-gates in the middle of both old and new bridges connecting the NH 244 (Batote-Khanabal highway) with the city of Doda. They have also set-up security checkpoints which look like bridgeheads where passengers are asked to alight from the vehicles and then subjected to frisking. They are allowed to move only after their identity cards are checked.

Similar nakas or checking points have been set up at several other places in the terraced city where sniffer dogs are also being used to search the vehicles, frisk passengers and check their luggage. The officials call these being a part of “effective security measures” which are in place also in the towns of Kishtwar, Bhaderwah and some other places across the region. The Chenab valley abounds in scenic spots with large forest area, snow-clad peaks, virgin trekking routes and majestic Chenab River flowing through. But it has been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the last few months.

The militants have carried out a series of deadly attacks in which the Army and other security forces and Village Defence Guards (VDGs) have suffered heavy losses. In one such incident, the militants believed to be the members of proscribed Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) beheaded an Army captain and three other soldiers and then released a video intended to send a message to the security forces who have undertaken a tough military campaign to combat them. The video purportedly showed the body of one of the slain soldiers being desecrated in the aftermath of the attack. The proscribed outfit claimed that the desecration of the dead body was done in retaliation to the Army’s purportedly dragging a terrorist's body in a separate encounter.

The J&K police quickly banned the circulation of this “propaganda” video in which the JeM had used Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan’s portrait and a poster of the Phantom movie. It said that any person found disseminating the “highly objectionable video” will face action under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1976.

“This horrendous incident and the reports that groups of die-hard terrorists are roaming in the hills from Kathua to Anantnag have provoked collective fear and uncertainty in parts of Chenab valley particularly among the people living in remote villages,” admitted a police officer who spoke to this correspondent on the condition of anonymity. Chuni Lal, who was serving food to Machail Mata pilgrims at a langar in the highway township of Prem Nagar said, “We don’t know when they will come down and bump us off. No doubt, the induction of Army and J&K police reinforcements has made people feel safe but they can’t be everywhere, every time.”

In the hills, weddings are being held in the presence of Village Defence Guards (VDGs) only. Hardly anyone ventures out after dark. However, the VDGs, armed with .303 rifles, apart from helping the security forces in hunting down the militants rotate in standing watch in their respective village. The Army has inducted 3,000 additional troops including two battalions of the Assam Rifles and 500 para commandos before launching an “Operation All Out” against the militants in the Chenab valley and neighbouring districts of Udhampur, Kathua and Poonch and Rajouri but has achieved a little success, so far.

The authorities say that terrorists who have been carrying out deadly attacks in the region have come from Pakistan and could also include the members of the neighbouring country’s special forces. But they have no clue about their exact number. A local source said there are, at least, fifteen foreign militants who are operating in three different groups in the upper reaches of Chenab valley alone. A police officer said that whatever their number they are equipped with deadly firearms including US-made M4 carbine, its shorter version M16A2, Austrian bullpup assault rifle Steyr AUG and Turkish Canik TP9 pistols. A recent report said that they have also acquired QBZ-191 which China claims with 5.8mm round is superior to both NATO and Russian ammunition but the security officials said they have no knowledge of this being true or false.

The police have detained or arrested a couple of dozen people on charges of harbouring militants. As part of the strategy to combat terror groups “more effectively” and prevent resurgence of militancy in the Chenab valley and Pir Panjal region, the police have either detained dozens of former militants or asked them to report at the nearest police stations. Ionically, one of them has been working as a Special Police Officer (SPO) with the J&K police for the past fifteen years. The Home Ministry has asked for generating human intelligence to reach out to the militants and plug the points where from the foreign terrorists have managed to sneak into J&K from Pakistan and PoJK. Following its directive, the existing VDGs are being strengthened and new ones formed with ex-servicemen and other “dedicated” people. The measures are afoot also to replace .303 rifles issued to VDGs with latest firearms.

Even as reinforcements including Indian army’s special forces have moved in the rugged hilly areas of Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur in large numbers to combat militants who are reported to have taken up vantage positions, an Army Captain was killed in another spectre of violence in Doda’s Assar area early Wednesday.

However, the Army which is being assisted by the SOG and CAPFs in the large-scale operations has pledged to “root out the enemy comprising highly trained and heavily terrorists”. An officer of Rashtriya Rifles from Punjab who was overseeing the checking of vehicles and frisking of passengers by his men at Pull Doda said, “Patrakarji, it is only a matter of time.”